The Forest Woman

by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, Radha Chakravarty (Translator), Amit Chaudhuri (Foreword)

Abandoned by his fellow travelers on a tiger-ridden shore in eastern Bengal, the narrator stumbles across a strange, beautiful woman, Kapalkundala. But she has been enslaved by a priest who plans to sacrifice them both in an esoteric rite. The only way for Kapalkundala and the narrator to escape is by marrying each other and traveling on to town in disguise. As soon as they reach the road, however, they encounter a second woman laden with jewels and as beguiling, to the narrator, as the first. Apparently a Muslim aristocrat from the court of Emperor Akbar, she appears to know more about the narrator than she should.

Genres: Fiction, Classics, Romance, Novels, Historical Fiction, Audiobook, Romantic

118 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1866

About the author

Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay (Bengali: বঙ্কিম চন্দ্র চট্টোপাধ্যায়) ('Chattopadhyay' in the original Bengali; 'Chatterjee' as spelt by the British) was a Bengali poet, novelist, essayist and journalist, most famous as the author of Vande Mataram or Bande Mataram, that inspired the freedom fighters of India, and was later declared the National Song of India.

Complete works of Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay (বঙ্কিম রচনাবলী) is now available in this third party website (in Bengali):
https://bankim-rachanabali.nltr.org/

Chatterjee is considered as a key figure in literary renaissance of Bengal as well as India. Some of his writings, including novels, essays and commentaries, were a breakaway from traditional verse-oriented Indian writings, and provided an inspiration for authors across India.